The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 587

Outside the glass window.

Dressed in her hospital gown and seated in the wheelchair, Clara didn't look much better than Rhys inside the room.

Simon leaned over from behind her, whispering a warning.

"Listen to me, just take one look and don't get worked up. Do not trigger another hemorrhage. If the two of you keep pulling this stunt, I might as well rebrand Star-Walker Media into an ICU shuttle service."

Clara chuckled weakly and waved him off.

Simon took a few steps back, giving them space.

A few tubes had been removed from Rhys, but the endotracheal tube remained. He turned his head slightly, peering through the thick pane of glass.

The two locked eyes through the barrier.

Clara had no idea what expression she was wearing, but she guessed she didn't look great.

Over the last forty-eight hours, she had secretly shed an ocean of tears. She had cursed Rhys in her mind a thousand times over, furious at his arrogance, furious at his cold-blooded cruelty.

But now, seeing him breathing, seeing the profound, lingering affection in his eyes as he looked at her, she couldn't muster a single tear.

Staring at him for a moment, Clara lifted a finger to tap just beneath her eye, then pointed through the glass straight at him.

[I'm watching you.]

Rhys looked at her hospital gown, knowing immediately that he had terrified her all over again.

From the moment he closed his eyes to the second he opened them, the interim was a void. He didn't know how long the surgery took, didn't know if the doctors had come out to scare her, and didn't know if Daniel had handed over the will.

Most of all, he didn't know if she had fallen apart after reading it.

But seeing Simon's demeanor earlier, he deduced that both she and the baby were safe.

He wanted to reach out and touch the glass, but his wrists were utterly devoid of strength, so he could only curve his eyes into a soft smile.

After three days of strict bed rest and progesterone supplements, the doctors cleared her for discharge, reminding her once again to keep her stress levels down.

But Clara didn't return to Riverside Court.

She immediately booked a hotel room right next to the hospital for a month, showing up without fail every single afternoon in the ICU family waiting area.

Visiting hours were brutally short—just twenty minutes from 3:00 to 3:20 PM.

Now that she was allowed inside, Clara always arrived early, donning the sterile gown, cap, and mask, wrapping herself up securely until only her eyes were visible.

Before entering, she would stand in front of the mirror above the prep room sink, practicing her smile over and over.

Her mouth was hidden by the mask, so her eyes had to convey all the warmth.

For the first few days, Rhys couldn't speak around the breathing tube, so Clara did all the talking.

"My mom said Felix ate two huge sandwiches this morning. He's been on his best behavior lately. He even called me and said that when you give him back his SWAT car, he's going to decorate it with little star stickers."